12 years old is likely to have a real bulb not led.
If its the maglight style bulb you can upgrade it to a led bulb then the d cell battery pack will last a week continuous use
Try this link if it is of any help
http://adventure-journal.com/2015/07/headlamps-headlamps-but-which-are-the-best/
Back in the old days, before halogen bulbs and LEDs, we often used hand-held carbide lamps borrowed from our caving kit for night tramping and hut use. A heavy aluminium foil windshield allowed use in inclement weather although not usually on open tops.
Carbide lamps were much cheaper to run than battery-powered lights and provided lateral light useful when walking on tracks or up river beds. Further, they did not form a dark shadow in front of anyone walking in front of you. Finally, they kept you hands warm.
They were not so good for spot lighting distant track markers nor as easy to start or stop as an electric device.
I still have my lamps but carbide is no longer easy to come by.
My old 12 year old has 3 LED's (for 3 different brightnesses) and a halogen spot. Called a 'Devil's Eye'! I think it was made by Kovea. Actually still a good all round unit.
I own a small collection of headlamps and quite fond of the Xtar H1 headlamps, they are powerful, compact, uses a single AA battery, IPX8 waterproof compliant... and quite affordable. One of the key features is the red LED which I use quite often.
One of the biggest pluses for red light is that it does not attract insects at night. So no more being bothered by swarms of moths and mosquitoes.
It is not the perfect headlamp, it could be smaller, and it is a bit stiff to angle but it ticks so many boxes. The lighter weight and bulk of the Zebra headlamps make them nicer for reading at night.
